Palm Court

The Newly Renovated Plaza Hotel (with Video)

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits

The Plaza Hotel recently reopened the newly renovated Palm Court.

Luxist recently sat down with Shane Krige, general manager of the Plaza Hotel, to discuss (see video below) and view the newly renovated landmark building across from New York's Central Park. The hotel, which will celebrate its 103rd anniversary in October, underwent a complete restoration which cost upwards of $450 million.

As part of the restoration, the Palm Court was returned to its original design not seen for years. Its newly launched afternoon tea service is not to be missed. Known as the heart and soul of The Plaza, the Palm Court is a vast landmark space bordered by mirrored doors, fleur-de-peche marble columns and crowned with a domed yellow-and-green skylight. The $6.5 million restoration included the re-creation of the original 1,800 square foot stained-glass lay light that dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. The airy, romantic space within the legendary hotel is nothing short of breathtaking.

Tags: awards-main, luxist-awards, Palm Court, Plaza Hotel, Todd English

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RSVIP: Taste of Summer Benefit in Central Park

by Jeffrey Slonim (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Events

On a balmy evening, Wednesday, June 2, 2010, a white tent with multiple peaks sprawls out next to the bandshell in New York's Central Park. Inside, rows of stations manned by chefs, their well-known names inscribed on their kitchen whites, dole out amuse-bouche and larger bites.

Well-heeled guests generously shelled out $350 ($400 at the door) for the endless banquet, as the proceeds benefit New York's beloved Central Park. In stilettos, reed-thin social Somers White Farkas towers next to a dance floor where her pal Muffy Potter Aston mixes it up to Michael Jackson's "ABC."

"We'll raise over $600,000," says Gillian Miniter, president of the Central Park Conservancy Women's Committee. Miniter sports a dress by designer Lela Rose, Manolo shoes, and jewelry by Fulco di Verdura, an Italian duke favored by Coco Chanel. "All of it goes directly to the park," she says. "The conservancy provides 85 percent of the [$26-million] budget for the park each year."

At station 19, Austrian chef Marcus Glocker of Gordon Ramsay at the London NYC tells Luxist that he met the Brit TV foodie when he was 19 years old. "I knocked on his door to get a job in London," says Glock while spraying white foam into plastic cups from a silver canister to prepare white chocolate ganache, coconut foam, and fresh mango. "The yogurt powder in the chocolate makes it a bit tangy, very airy, no dairy, nice and light," he says. And does Ramsey, famous for knocking everyone in the kitchen down to size, wreak havoc when he visits New York? "He checks flavors," says Glock, who claims that no f-bombs are dropped. "He just mentions a few nuances."

Tags: blt market, central park, central park boathouse, central park conservancy, new york city, Palm Court, red eye grill, rsvip, serendipity 3, taste of summer, telepan

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The Plaza Hotel's Palm Court Opens for Afternoon Tea Service

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

As part of the Plaza Hotel's $450 million, three year restoration, the Palm Court has reopened and its newly launched afternoon tea service is not to be missed.

Known as the heart and soul of The Plaza, the Palm Court is a vast landmark space bordered by mirrored doors, fleur-de-peche marble columns and crowned with a domed yellow-and-green skylight. A recently completed restoration returned the room to its original design not seen for over fifty years. The $6.5 million restoration included the re-creation of the original 1,800 square foot stained-glass lay light that dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. It was covered up in the 1950s and not exposed until the renovation brought it back to life. The Palm Court's renovation also introduced new lighting and furnishings. The airy, romantic space within the legendary hotel is nothing short of breathtaking.

Tags: Afternoon Tea, awards-main, luxist-awards, Manhattan, New York City, Palm Court, Plaza Hotel, Tea

Continue reading “The Plaza Hotel's Palm Court Opens for Afternoon Tea Service”